(Everybody Violet co-founder Kristi Maddocks reminisces about making the band. Read these excerpts, then check out the full account in our Related Bands section!)
I hung out in the San Diego underground late ā81 to early ā82, but I wasn’t an out-ānā-out player until 1983. After years of watching shows I began to assert myself as a writer, a poet — and a wannabe singer/songwriter.
It was like kismet: As soon as my old roommate moved out, Michelle [Krone] moved into the Madison Avenue place. Tired of being known as just āThe Morlocks’ Girls,ā Michelle and I looked at each other and said, āLetās start our own band!ā I would sing lead, and Michelle would sing back-up and learn the bass guitar.
Word got around the scene we were looking to become a legitimate group. A couple of days later, Michelle and I were introduced to Anni and Carina, and the great musical partnership of Everbody Violet was born.
Music came easy in our collaboration. The four of us bonded quickly. Anni and Carina had been playing music together for some time, so songwriting and arranging music together came quite naturally among us. Our egos didn’t seem to get in the way of creating fun and innovative music. We channeled our feelings of frustration, betrayal and young-adult angst into raw lyrics with beautiful melodies and interesting harmonies. We wanted to prove ourselves talented and confident musicians. I was determined that Everybody Violet outshine LA’s notorious all-girl garage band, The Pandoras (or anyone else who doubted our ability to rock like the boys or other bands before us).
We only played original songs. At first, we used to meet at Anni’s studio on Second and Ivy or the Madison Avenue apartment to quietly rehearse with acoustic instruments. Eventually, our upstairs neighbors flipped out about the noise, so we began renting hourly rehearsal space at Paradiddles in North Park. That’s about the time Joanne Norris (formerly of Noise 292 and the Injections) joined the band. Joanne was a very strong percussionist and fit in with EV at first meeting. Joanne played without cymbals and added a tribal drive to the band, which really balanced our sound. This transition from acoustic rehearsals to electric performance replete with a fierce drummer helped Everybody Violet mature from being a melodic girl group into an edgy psychedelic garage band that could really rock.
The music sounds great…it really makes me wish I’d gotten the chance to see you guys back then.
Thanks, Dave…I wish you had, too!
Nonetheless, I look forward to future projects with you , Dave Rink & the rest of the gang!
Great history! I was gone by then, but I remember Michele and Carina well. Sounds like I bailed out of SD too soon.
I forgot the Michelle connection! Christina Harrell had great photos of Michelle at Graveyard park hanging out.
I like this song. It’s got a Post Punk kind of sound. I like the clean arpeggiated guitar. “No peace inside, Outside for our kind, In the world unkind, In graves that remind” Is this song about the living dead? Or is it saying there is no peace for your kind (women?) even in death? I seem to recall in an earlier post, talk of a tape of EV surviving from the Mexico City Quake Aid show at the Che. Is this from that? I recall Paul Hokeness organized that show, and kept the money. I heard from Dave Fleminger that Anni is now an accomplished Brazilian music pianist. I wonder if the Greg from Fate Gallery was Greg Marx, who was a drummer originally from North County.
Graveyard park: I just wrote a new entry about it in the “Great San Diego hangouts” section of the blog which first came out on Monday, April 7th.
Here’s a link to your Graveyard Park reminiscence, Paul.
Thank you, Everybody…hmmm…no pun intended!
Greg Marx was the drummer in my first band…Fate Gallery! Wow, blast from the past…I wonder howhe and Jimmy are doing these days? It is so sad to lose touch with people…
Speaking of which…Everybody Violet is still in search of JoAnne Norris.
Kristina Harrell-Scherer and I have been talking a lot lately…She was super tight with Michelle Crone, my old roommate and bass player in Everybody Violet. I had totally lost touch of Michelle for almost 20 years until Kristina and I reconnected a couple of months ago. Kristina, determined to find her “sister” Michelle-criused on myspace with the names of Michelle’s children amnd-bing-sent a message to her thru her 17 year old son’s myspace page! It took leaving several phone messages, but Michelle finally called me back last Sturday! I can’t wait to talk with her…I wonder if she is ready for a proposed EV show at a reunion gig next September?…I always adored Michelle..she had a tough home life, but a big heart and a wide smile…she was always so cooky and cute!
On to the Mexican Quakeaid show…It was Everbody Violet’s first electric live show, following our acoustic debut at GO GO IMPOSSIBLE.
I have a lot to say about the Mexican Quakeaide show. First off, I drew that pretty purple flyer…Secondly, I truly doubt Paul Hokeness was in charge of that show. In those days, he was hardly in charge of himself…Thirdly…there is a live tape of the show and there are cuts from that tape at http://www.myspace/everybodyviolet (myspace, again!)…finallly…I have a killer scrapbook with lots of details on that day…But I think I will save the rest of the story for a new Che blog posting…TBA later this week!
Greg Marx was in that goth band with Squirrel, right? What were they called?
Dave E: Greg and Squirrel were in “Faces of Drama”.
Greg ended up being flat-mates with me in SFO in a green, Victorian “submarine” flat on Haight near Fillmore -- just as that became the most happening block of the city in 87.
Great story Kristi! Glad to hear from you on here. I haven’t seen you since the mid 90s when you did downhear shows at the Cafe Du Nord (with the Black Diamonds among others). Also, I’m glad to hear that Michelle is doing well.
Jimmy!
It blew my mind when I saw your comments! Of course, Allen was on bass, and Greg Marx did have a Goth/pretty boy thing about him that was strabgely attractive! you rocked it on guitar-and bless you for recruiting me for Fate Gallery. Songwriting with you was great fun and gave me the fundamental knowledge and confidence to continue down my musical path. Do you have any recordings of Fate Gallery rehearsals? I don’t…but I still have some of my original lyrics, and I can still remember many of the melodies! I would kill to hear a recording of us, and see whether the real sound matches with the “recordings in my mind”…
BTW-there may be some form of an Everybody Violet line-upat a proposed reunion event next Summer, andCarina Burns-Randolph and I are working with Dave Fleminger to finish up some imcomplete studio recordings, so stay tuned!
If you want to get in touch, leave me a message on myspace as to how to get a hold of you!